Parbati Baruah dedicates Padma Shri award to ‘entire Assam’

GUWAHATI: Padma Shri recipient Parbati Baruah from Assam expressed happiness and thanked the central government on receiving the recognition.

In a statement, she said that the award was not just for her but a recognition for the entire state of Assam.

“I thank the central government and the state government. This award is not for me but for the entire Assam,” she said.

“Since I was 14 years old, I have worked in elephant capturing and continued doing this work. I have great love for elephants and animal,” she said.

She added: "I dedicated my life to elephants, wildlife and their caretakers. So, I kept doing my work. God blessed me and I got this recognition."

67-year-old Parbati Baruah overcome entrenched gender stereotypes and dedicated four decades in mitigating human-elephant conflicts.

Parbati, since early childhood, acquired the skills from her father and went on to play a crucial role in capturing and taming wild elephants.

Her commitment to applying scientific practices assisted at least three state governments in addressing the human-elephant conflict.

Her determination and significant contributions have earned her the prestigious Padma Shri in the category of Social Work (Animal Welfare).